As we approach Mother’s Day, I’m thinking about my mom and the women from Guatemala who cared for me when I was young and the millions of other mothers who are undermined because of inhumane policies and practices.

As we get ready to celebrate and honor the work that mamas do every day, I am struck by the severe disconnect between what immigrant mamas need to take care of their families and our current immigration policies.

As immigrant women continue to seek better lives in the United States—51 percent of new immigrants are women—we cannot neglect the impact health-care policies and anti-choice legislation have on their lives.

The House of Representatives is expected to vote on the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) today, the final day of Teen Dating Violence Prevention and Awareness Month. So what’s at stake for youth?

As a woman with privilege who has depended on the law, I am grateful for Roe. As a queer, Indo-Caribbean from an immigrant family in the Bronx, I remember that laws often require less than justice does.

As a young working professional Poderosa, as a college graduate, and as I have seen in communities across the Americas, I know first-hand intelligent and motivated Millennial Latinas achieve and overcome what some would consider insurmountable obstacles.

My cousin, who was once so hopeful about her life and her future, now felt trapped and betrayed by the American Dream and, even worse, she felt alone. I don’t know what exactly happened to me after that day, but something struck inside of me and I knew I had to do something for my cousin and for the thousands of people like her.